Transmission mechanism.



A. RUETSCHI.

TRANSMISSION MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 16. 1913.

1,200,876. j Patented Oct. 10,1916.

0, A "9 10 ET; 72

@f w I N 5 10 F V T: T 3 Z l ARNOLD RUETSCHI, or LAKEwoon, OHIO.

TRANSMISSION MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters I'atent.

Patented Oct. 10, 1916.

Application filed October 16, 1913. Serial No. 795,450.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARNOLD Ronrsom, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Lakewood, county of Cuyahoga, and State of Ohio, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Transmission Mechanism,-

of which the following is a specification, the principle of the,invention being herein explained and the best mode in which I havecontemplated applying that principle, so as to distinguish it from otherinventions.

The subject of the present invention is a resilient supporting meansadapted to be connected in that type of transmission, which is commonlyknown as a sliding transmission, and which is so generally used inautomobiles at present. While this transmission is in general efficient,it is faulty in one particular, which is that inexpert users are liable'to cause very severe shocks to the counter-shaft which is placedparallel to the main driving shaft upon letting in the clutch. Theresult of these shocks is of course a considerable loosening and unduewear between the counter-shaft and its bearings as well as occasionalinjury to the gears themselves and to the entire trainof mechanismdriven thereby. It is to prevent this extra wear and to absorb theshocks which cannot be prevented that the present invention has beendesigned. In addition to these features it is intended to provide meanswhich permit the most used shift (or speed change), that from high tointermediate to be made without disengagement of the clutch. Myinvention is not, of course, limited in its uses to this particularfield, as it may be used'in other transmission mechanism for otherpurposes wherever any severe strain is thrown upon a counter-shaft. Tothe accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention,then, consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularlypointed out in the claims.

The annexed drawing and the following description set forth in detailcertain mechanism embodying the invention, such disclosed meansconstituting, however, but one of various mechanical forms in which theprinciple of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawing: Figure 1 is a horizontal section through atransmission case of the sliding type illustrating the application of myinvention thereto; Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 22 in Fig.

1; Fig. 3 is a section similar to that shown in Fig. 1, but showing adifferent form of the invention; Fig. 4 is a section on the line44,'Fig. 3; and ,F ig. 5 shows a modified construction.

The type of transmission which is shown in Fig. 1 is the well knownprogressive type, and as the precise details of construction andoperation will have no effect upon the present invention, it will beunnecessary to describe the transmission further than to say that thereis 'afixed casing 1 in which are journaled a driving shaft 2, and adriven shaft 3 alined therewith. In" the fixed cas ing is an oscillatorycasing 4 in which is rotatably' mounted the usual counter-shaft 5 drivenfrom the shaft 2 by gears 6 and 7. Upon rotation of the driving shaftthe counter-shaft (in all speeds but high will I be met by a strongresistance to turning by reason of the load on the driven shaft, theresult being a tendency on the part of the casing 4, or carrier, to turnabout the driving shaft as an axis. If this casing is allowed to turnslightly and is then gradually and resiliently retarded until brought toa stop, the initial shock resulting from the engagement of the clutch isabsorbed instead of being transmitted directly through the entire trainof driving mechanism, as

it is in the present types. Any suitable shock absorbing mechanism maybe used for this purpose, an extremely simple and highly effective onebeing here shown. It consists of resilient springs 8 interposed betweenlaterally extending arms or lugs 9 attached to the casing 4, and rigidlyconnected by a bar 10, and the bottom of the outer or fixed casing 1.The precise type of resilient means used is obviouslyunimportant, thepresent specific springs eing merely illustrative.

Another type of rotation absorbing means may be used, which is shown inFigs. 3 and 4. A fixed casing 11 is there supplied at either end withbearings 12 in'which the second casing or carrier 13 is rotatablymounted, the driving and driven shafts 14 and 15, respectively, beingjournaled in suitable bearings 16 in the carrier. The carrier isprovided at its forward end with an extending sleeve 17 which isprovided with a plurality of spaced notches or slots 18 in which aredisposed hardened steel balls or rollers 19 which are adapted, uponoscillation of the carrier in one direction, to enupon the applicationof power as explained in the foregoing description, and the carrier willthentend to rotate in one direction,

such rotation causing the one-way ball clutch to act upon the drum andto rotate the same in unison with the carrier. This rotation of the drumswings the lever 21 which is supported at its outer end by a suitableresilient member such as a coiled spring 22. In this way the shock isabsorbed in the same manner as in the first construction. Itwill beunderstood that by the expression rotation of the carrler it is notmeant that the carrier will ever really rotate through a revolution inthis direction, as it has of course only a very limited movement, sinceit almost at once engages the drum .and the latter slows the carrierdown through the action of the compression spring. Any suitable one-wa'yclutch may be provided for the engagement of the sleeve on the carrierand the drum, and the present one has been selected because it isextremely simple and because there is a slight lost motion connectionbetween its driving and driven parts.

It will be seen that the transmission shown in Fig. 3 is of the threespeed selective, sliding type in which the driving shaft 14 bears gears2.4. and 25, the latter having jaws 26 for engagement with complementaryjaws 27 on a gear 28 on the end of a sleeve 29, slidably, butnon-rotatably mounted on the driven shaft 15. The intermediate speed issecured through gear 2i and a gear 30 on a stub or counter shaft 31 andthen through a gear 32 on said stub shaft and gear 28. It will be seenthat the gear 32 is a double gear and hence meshes with the gear 28 whenthe latter is engaged with the driving shaft through the clutch members,and also even when withdrawn from such clutch engagement. Anew result issecured by this construction. The carrier and stud shafts and theirgears are rotated in unison with the driving and driven shafts at highspeed since the gear 28 is locked into gear 24: and also into gear 32.The carrier is permitted to rotate freely in this direction, the ballclutch acting only upon reverse rotation. It is thus possible to shiftinto intermediate speed from high without a clutch change since gear 28continues in engagement withthe gear 32. It is only necessary to slidethe sleeve 29 away from gear 25 until the clutch is disengaged. Thecarrier then gradually slows down until it comes to stop and starts toturn in the opposite direction, until gradually stopped by the shockabsorbing clutch. The advantages of this construction which permitshifting without disengaging the clutch are obvious.

There will now be no danger of clashing or stripping gears and the shiftmay be made with greater speed than in the present types of mechanism.It is, of course, unnecessary to make the gear 32 double if merely theresilient effect is desired, and in Fig. 5 it is shown of single gearwidth in which case no new effect will be secured in the manner oroperation of the shifting. Even in the form shown in Fig. 5 the casing13 will tend to rotate in unison with the driving shaft at high speedwhich will render gear shifting easy. The gear carrier is made to thusturn by the drag of the gears and the action of the grease in thecasing.

The particular features to which I call attention are the resilientsupport for the counter shaft and its casing and the means which permitthe most used gear shift (from high to intermediate) to be anticipatedso that no clutch action is necessary. These features are ones hithertolacking in transmissions and are important by reason of the addedconvenience of handling and increased life of the mechanism.

Oth modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employedinstead of the one explained, change being made as regards the mechanismherein disclosed, pro-' vided the means stated by any of the followingclaims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as myinvention 1. In a sliding gear transmission mechanism the combinationwith a fixed inclosed casing; a driving and a driven shaft journaledtherein; a secondary shaft disposed parallel to said driving and drivenshafts; and gear means adapted to operatively connect said three shafts;of a carrier oscillatorily. mounted within said casing about saiddriving and driven shafts, said carrier journaling said secondary shaft;and resilient means disposed between said carrier and said casing andadapted to tend to restrain said carrier from oscillation.

2. In a sliding gear transmission mechanism, the combination with adriving and driven shaft; of a sleeve slidably mounted on said drivenshaft and adapted to engage with said driving shaft; gear means normallyinoperativelv connecting said driving shaft and said sleeve; and meansadapted to automatically render said gear means effective upondisengagement of such direct connection between said driving shaft andsaid sleeve.

3. In a sliding transmission mechanism, the combination with a fixedcasing, a main driving shaft journaled therein and a driven shaftconnected to be operated thereby; of a carrier oscillatorily mounted in.

said fixed casing about said main shaft and having a sleeve extendingexternally of said driving shaft journaled therein and a driven shaftconnected to be operated thereby; of a carrier oscillatorily mounted insaid fixed casing about said main shaft and having a sleeve extendingexternally of said casing; a drum rotatably mounted about such sleeve;one-Way clutch means adapted to detachably connect said sleeve and saiddrum upon oscillation of said carrier and said sleeve in one direction;and resilient means adapted to tend to restrain said drum fromoscillation. i

5. In a sliding transmission mechanism, the combination with a fixedcasing, a main driving shaft j ournaled therein and a driven shaftconnected to be operated thereby; of a carrier oscillatorily mounted insaid fixed casing about said main shaft and having a sleeve extendingexternally of said casing; a drum rotatably mounted about such sleeve;one-way clutch means adapted to detachably connect said sleeve and saiddrum upon oscillation of said carrier and said sleeve in one direction;a lever attached to said drum; and a resilient member adapted to supportthe extending end of said lever and to thereby tend to restrain saiddrum from oscillation.

- 6. In a sliding t ansmission mechanism, the combination with a fixedcasing and a main driving shaft journaled therein; of a carrieroscillatorily mounted in said fixed casing about said main shaft andhaving a sleeve extending externally of said casing; a drum rotatablymounted about such sleeve; one-way clutch means having a lost motionconnection and adapted to detachably connect said sleeve and said drumupon oscillation of said carrier and said sleeve in one direction; alever attached to said drum; and a resilient member adapted to supportthe extending end of said lever and to thereby tend to restrain saiddrum from oscillation.

7. In a sliding gear transmission mechanism, the combination with adriving andv a driven shaft; means adapted to directly connect/the'same;gear means normally inoperatively connecting said two shafts; and meansadapted to automatically render said gear means effective upondisengagement of such direct connection between said shafts.

8. In a sliding gear transmission mechanism, the combination with adriving and a driven shaft; a rotatably mounted casing about saiddriving shaft; a stub shaft carried by said casing; a sleeve slidablymounted on said driven shaft and adapted to engage said driving shaft inone position; a gear on said driving shaft; two gears on said stubshaft, one engaging with said gear on said driving shaft, a gear on saidsleeve, said other gear on said stub shaftengaging the same when saidsleeve is in both engaging and disengaging relation to saiddrivingshaft; and meansadapted to restrain, said casing from rotationopposite to the rotation of said driving shaft.

Signed by me, this lath day of October,

ARNOLD RUETSCHI. Attested by H. B. FAY, A. L. GILL.

